Apparatus for unwinding strands



Jan. 15, 1963 D. c. FRATE ETAL APPARATUS FOR UNWINDING STRANDS 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 10, 1958 CAPSTAN INVENTORS D. C. FRATE BY L A.RAYBUR/V ATTORNEY Jan. 15, 1963 D. c. FRATE ETAL 3,073,545

APPARATUS FOR UNWINDING STRANDS Filed Nov. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2FIG. '9 w INVENTORS 0.6. FRA TE MA. RAYBURN Jan. 15, 1963 D. c. FRATEETAL APPARATUS FOR UNWINDING STRANDS Filed Nov. 10, 1958 3 FIG. 3

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS D. C. FRA TE A. RA YBUR/V ArroR/vir UnitedStates Patent" 3,073,545 APPARATUS FOR UNWINDING STRANDS Domenico C.Frate and Vincent A. Rayburn, Baltimore,

Md., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York,N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 772,874 9Claims. (Cl. 242-128) The present invention relates generally toapparatus for unwinding strands, and more particularly to improvedapparatus for withdrawing a strand from a coil thereof. The inventionfurther comprehends improved clamping and braking mechanisms, which areespecially suitable for use with a strand unwinding apparatus.

The primary object, therefore, of the invention is to provide new andimproved apparatus for unwinding strands.

In the past, it has been a common practice in certain situations toutilize a strand supply of the type wherein the strand is withdrawn froma stationary coil or reel. Such a reel is generally mounted in anupright, on-end position and the strand is withdrawn therefrom by anysuitable strand-advancing means. A flyer or guide unit is provided,which is revolved about the axis of the reel by the withdrawing strandand is thereby caused to guide the strand over the upper end of the reelto the advancing means.

Another object, then, of the invention is to provide apparatus forwithdrawing a strand from a coil thereof.

In some cases, particularly where a soft copper wire of small diameter,such as 22 gage, is being unwound, there is a tendency for the adjacentstrand convolutions on the reel to stick to each other during theunwinding operation, which leads to uneven or jerky unwinding producingkinks or breaks in the wire.

Accordingly, a further object of the invention is to eliminate ormaterially reduce these difficulties providing apparatus forcontinuously pryingor peeling the strand being unwound away from theconvolutions remaining in the coil.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatusfor clamping a reel in an upright, on-end position previous to thestrand-unwinding operation, which clamping apparatus has general utilityin the clamping of other objects having bores formed therethrough.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved brakingapparatus, especially suitable for use in a strand-unwinding apparatusbut having general utility in the braking of rotary members with respectto stationary members.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an integratedunwinding apparatus, including interconnected flyer, guide, clamping andbraking units, which is simple in construction and easy to engage anddisengage, as a unit, from a reel to be unwound.

An apparatus, illustrating certain features of the invention, mayinclude, in a strand-unwinding apparatus wherein a strand is withdrawnfrom a coil thereof, the combination of means for wedging the strandbeing withdrawn from the convolutions remaining in the coil togetherwith means for mounting the wedging means for continuous revolutionabout the axis of the coil as the strand is withdrawn. Preferably, thewedging means is mounted for movement into continuous contact with thesurface of the coil as the strand is depleted therefrom.

The wedging means may comprise a prying blade positioned between thestrand being withdrawn and the surface of the coil and mounted forrevolution about the reel. The wedging blade may be mounted to arevolving flyer unit for pivotal movement with respect thereto so thatthe wedging blade is maintained in continuous contact with 3,073,545Patented Jan. 15, 1963 ice the surface of the coil by the strand passingthereover to the flyer unit. A support member may be pivotally mountedto a flyer unit with the wedging blade mounted resiliently by means of afiat spring to the support member. Two wedging blades are preferablyprovided, spaced apart a distance just suflicient to allow the strand topass therebetween, thus restricting its freedom to fly wild or to leavethe prying blades.

An apparatus for clamping an object having a bore formed therethrough toa base in a position wherein the bore extends vertically, illustratingcertain features of the invention, may include a clamp having portionswhich may engage and be seated on the upper surface of the article and aclamping rod carried by the clamp and mounted so that the clamping rodextends into the bore and is capable of limited vertical movement withrespect to the clamp. Means are provided for biasing the clamp andclamping rod relatively apart so that the clamp is urged downward andthe clamping rod is urged upward relative to each other. A lockingmember is secured to the base and is located beneath the bore when thearticle is properly positioned on the base. Means are attached near thelower end of the clamping rod, designed for engaging portion of thelocking member, for locking the clamping rod in a depressed positionwith respect to the clamp, whereupon the biasing means urge the clampdownward so that portions thereof are forced against the upper surfaceof the article to clamp the article firmly against the base. A flyer maybe mounted between the clamp and the clamping rod for rotation withrespect thereto during the unwinding of the strand from a clamped reel.

A braking apparatus, illustrating certain features of the invention, mayinclude a brake shoe carried by a rotary member and designed forcontinuous engagement with a curved surface of a stationary member.Means are provided for biasing the brake shoe into engagement with thecurved surface of the stationary member and means, including arelatively large adjusting knob which protrudes prominently from therotating member, for adjusting the biasing means to regulate the brakingaction, whereby the braking action may be adjusted while the rotarymember is rotating. In the strand-unwinding apparatus, the brake shoe iscarried by the flyer and engages a curved surface ofthe clamp, theadjusting knob protruding from the upper surface of the flyer to allowadjustment while the flyer is rotating.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, whenread in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a strand-unwinding apparatus embodyingthe invention, and constituting one apparatus suitable for practicingthe methods of the invention, with portions broken away to revealstructural details;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, withportions thereof broken away for clarity;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken generally along the line 33of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and illustrating a mountingmeans for a guide unit according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the guide unit, taken generallyalong the line 44 .of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows, and showingportions of the mounting means therefor in exploded position;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through the guide unit, taken generallyalong the line 55 of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section through the guide unit, taken generallyalong the line 6-6 of FIG. 4 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, perspective view of a cam lock according to theinvention, with a portion of a clamping rod shown in exploded positionwith respect thereto; FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the elementsillustrated in FIG. 7, and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical section, taken generally along the line9--9 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating portionsof a braking mechanism.

Overall Arrangement of the Apparatus Referring now in detail to thedrawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, a flyer or guide-01f unit,designated generally by the numeral 10, is provided and is mounted forrevolution about the central axis A of a stationary strand supply. Thestrand supply may conveniently be a conventional reel, designatedgenerally by the numeral 11 and mounted in upright, on-end position, asillustrated in FIG. 1. The flyer unit 10 is designed to facilitate thecontinuous withdrawal of a strand 12 from the winding surface of thereel 11 and the passage of the withdrawn strand to a subsequentprocessing operation (not shown).

The strand 12 is wound in conventional fashion in a plurality of layersof helical convolutions, back and forth along the length of a hollowwinding drum 13, forming a part of the reel 11, between a pair ofcircular reel flanges 1414. Previous to the unwinding operation, thereel 11 is mounted in the upright position illustrated in FIG. 1, sothat a central bore 15 thereof, defined by the hollow drum 13, extendsvertically and one of the flanges 14-14 is positioned on a base plate16. During the unwinding operation, the reel 11 is maintained stationaryin this position by a clamping mechanism, designated generally by thenumeral 17, illustrated particularly in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 and to bedescribed in detail hereinafter under the heading Clamping Mechanism17."

A rotatable flyer, designated generally by the numeral 18 and forming afirst part of the flyer unit 10, is mounted centrally with respect tothe reel 11 for rotation about the vertical axis A. The flyer 18includes a circular plate 19, which is mounted in a plane above theupper reel flange 14 and has a flyer arm, designated generally by thenumeral 21 and forming a second part of the flyer unit 10, securedthereto for revolution about the axis A upon rotation of the flyer 18.The flyer arm 21 terminates in a vertically mounted, square mountingtube 22 shown in its assembled position in FIG. 1, in cross section inFIG. 3, and in exploded relation to other parts in FIG. 4 having asquare central passage 23 extending therethrough. The specificconstruction and assembly of the flyer 18 and the flyer arm 21, togetherconstituting the flyer unit 10, will be described in detail hereinafterunder the heading Flyer Unit 10.

A guide unit, designated generally by the numeral 24 and shown in FIGS.1 to 6, is mounted near the end of the flyer arm 21 for revolutiontherewith about the central axis A and for independent pivotal movementwith respect thereto about a vertical ,axis B, which coincides with thecenter of the mounting tube 22. The guide unit 24 facilitates thewithdrawal of the strand 12 from the reel 11, by engaging the strand 12as it is withdrawn.

and directing the same to the subsequent process and by prying thestrand being unwound from the adjacent convolutions remaining on thereel 11, as will be described in detail hereinafter under the headingGuide Unit 24 and Unwinding Operation.

An adjustable braking unit, designated generally by the numeral 25 andbest illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, is provided to restrain the freerotation of the flyer 18 as required for smooth unwinding under theparticular conditions encountered. The braking unit 25 is carried by theflyer 18 and has a frictional surface thereof engaging a portion of thefixed clamp 17, as will be described in detail hereinafter under theheading Braking Unit 25.

Guide Unit 24 and Unwinding Operation The guide unit 24, which is shownin assembled position in FIG. 1, in cross section in FIG. 3, and inexploded relation to other parts in FIG. 4, is provided with a circularshaft 26 at the upper end thereof. The shaft 26 is received within thesquare central passage 23 of the mounting tube 22 and is rotatablymounted within the tube 22 by means of a pair of bushings, designatedgenerally by the numerals 27 and 28, and a locking collar 29.

The bushings 27 and 28 are identical, but reversely positioned asindicated in FIG. 4, the bushing 27 being mounted at the top of thesquare tube 22 and the bushing 28 at the bottom thereof. As bestillustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the upper bushing 27 includes acircular flange 31, which is supported on the upper surface of thesquare tube 22, and a hub 32 extending therefrom. The outer periphery ofthe hub 32 is square and is designed to be seated within the squarepassage 23 of the tube 22 in order to prevent the bushing 27 fromrotating with respect to the mounting tube 22. The bushing 27 is alsoprovided with a circular central bore 33, extending through both theflange 31 and the hub 32 and designed for receiving the circular shaft26 therein. With this connection, the shaft 26 may rotate with respectto the bushing 27, thus allowing pivotal movement of the guide unit 24with respect to the flyer arm 21 about the vertical axis B.

As indicated in FIG. 4, the lower bushing 28 is similarly constructedand arranged, being provided with a hub 34, designed for reception atthe bottom of the square bore 23, and a flange 35, which may besupported on a collar 36 formed at the base of the shaft 26 andconstituting a portion of the guide unit 24. The locking collar 29 isformed with a central bore 37 so that it may be placed over the upperend of the shaft 26, as indicated in FIG. 4 and as seen in FIG. 1..

The collar 29 is locked to the shaft 26 by means of a pin 38 (FIG. 1),which is inserted through a bore 39 (FIG. 4) extending transverselythrough the collar 29 and a similar, alignable slot 41 (FIGS. 4 and 5)in the shaft 26. In this manner, the entire weight of the guide unit 24is supported by the collar 29 bearing on the upper surface of thebushing 27, yet the collar 29 may rotate with respect to the bushing 27so as to permit the desired pivotal movement of the guide unit 24.

The guide unit 24 further includes a first pair of spaced plates 4242,which are secured to the collar 36 and depend vertically therefrom asbest seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. A second pair of spaced plates 43-43 aresecured to the plates 42-42 by a rib 44 extending therebetween. Theplates 43- 43 extend in vertical planes and are generally coextensive inlength with the distance between the reel flanges 1414. A firststrand-guiding pulley 46 is journalled between the spaced plates 43-43,and is provided with a peripheral V-groove 47 in which the strand 12being unwound from the reel 11 is received, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

The shaft 26 is provided with a central bore 48 therethrough, throughwhich the strand 12 is advanced, vertically upward as viewed in FIGS. 1,4 and 5, after passing around approximately of the V-groove periphery 47of the pulley 46. In order to facilitate the passage of the strand 12,the pulley 46 is so mounted that the center of the V-groove 47 at theright-hand side thereof, as viewed in FIG. 4, is directly below thecenter (axis B) of the bore 48 in the shaft 26. After advancing throughthe bore 48, the strand 12 passes around a 90 portion of the peripheryof a second V-grooved pulley 49, which is mounted to the flyer arm 21with the strand-engaging portion of its periphery in vertical alignment,with that of the lower pulley 46 along the axis B.

The strand 12 runs horizontally from the second pulley 49 to a thirdV-grooved pulley 51, which is also mounted to the flyer arm 21 and is sodisposed that the lower strand-engaging periphery thereof is inhorizontal alignment with the upper strand-engaging periphery of thepulley 49, so that the strand 12 runs horizontally therebetween. Thepulley 51 is further mounted so that the left-hand, strand-engagingportion of the periphery thereof, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, is invertical alignment with the center of the reel 11 along the axis A, sothat the strand 12 advances around a 90 portion of the periphery of thepulley 51 and then passes vertically upward along the central axis A toa capstan or other means for advancing the strand (not shown butindicated at the top of FIG. 1). Due to the aligned peripheral mountingof the pulley 51, the strand 12 always passes along the axis A eventhrough the flyer arm 21, and thus the pulley 51, revolve about the axisA during the unwinding operation.

As the strand 12 is advanced by the capstan indicated in FIG. 1, thestrand convolutions are unwound, one by one, from the winding surface ofthe reel 11 with the strand 12 being guided by the three pulleys 46, 49and 51 along the path indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1, over the upperflange 14 to the capstan. The engagement between the advancing strand 12and the pulleys 46, 49 and 51 causes the flyer unit to revolve, forexample in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2, about the centralaxis A. The adjustable braking unit operates to restrain the freerotation of the flyer unit 10 to an extent whereby the flyer unit 10rotates at substantially the same rate that the strand convolutions arebeing withdrawn from the reel 11.

A pair of wedging blades 53 and 54 are resiliently mounted by means of apair of flat springs 5656 to the plates 43-43 for revolution about thecentral axis A. Each of the flat springs 5656 is secured at its rightend, as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 6, between a pair of end portions 5757 ofthe plates 43-43, the end portions 57-57 being formed close together atthe tops and bottoms of the plates 4343. Each of the wedging blades 53and 54 is secured at both ends to the flat springs 5656 by means of apair of cup washers 58-58, as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the springs5656 being located centrally with one of the blades 53 and 54 fastenedon either side thereof.

The withdrawing strand 12 is threaded between the wedging blades 53 and54, as seen in FIG. 2, before advancing to the first guide pulley 46,the blades 53 and 54 being spaced apart slightly farther than the normaldiameter of the strand 12. The blades 53 and 54 revolve with the flyerunit 10 about the central axis A, in a clockwise direction as viewed inFIG. 2 as the strand 12 is withdrawn; thus, the travel of the blades 53and 54 is in the direction opposite to that in which the strand 12 isadvancing therebetween and the rate of revolution is regulated by thebrake unit 25 to the rate at which the strand coils are being unwound. I

Due to the freely pivotable mounting of the guide unit 24, the strand 12passing between the blades 53 and 54 pulls the inner blade 53 intocontinuous contact with the winding surface of the reel 11, so that theinner blade 53 functions to wedge or peel the strand being unwound awayfrom the adjacent convolutions remaining on the reel 11. The wedgingaction of the inner blade 53 prevents any unevenness in the unwindingoperation due to any tendency of the strand convolutions to sticktogether, as might be the case when the strand 12 is a soft copper wireor when the convolutions tend to adhere to each other for any otherreason. The single strand 12 being unwound is, at all times, effectivelyforced or peeled away from the remaining convolutions due to the wedgingor prying action of the travelling inner blade 53.

The blades 53 and 54 are made slightly shorter in length than thedistance between the reel flanges 1414 (the winding length of the reel11), as illustrated in FIG. 1, in order to permit withdrawal of thestrand 12 from all points along the winding length of the reel 11. InFIG. 1, the numeral 12 designates the path of the strand to be withdrawnfrom a position near the upper flange 14 and the numeral 12" designatesthe path of the strand to be withdrawn from a position near the lowerflange 14. With this arrangement, the revolving blade 53 operates towedge the strand 12 from the reel 11 during the entire unwindingoperation, even though the strand is wound helically along the entirelength of the reel 11 between the flanges 14--14. Further, because theinner blade 53 bears against the winding surface of the reel at alltimes, any tendency of the strand convolutions to come loose and fallagainst the lower flange 14 is checked and unwinding may proceedsmoothly even though a false crossover is encountered.

As the unwinding operation proceeds from a full-reel condition to anempty-reel condition, the guide unit 24 swings about the axis B from thesolid-line position illus trated in FIG. 2 toward the center of the reel11 and a terminal position illustrated fragmentarily in phantom lines inFIG. 2 and designated by the numeral 24. As before described, the centerof the V-grooved periphery 47 of the pulley 46 is mounted directly belowthe central bore 48 of the shaft 26, so that the strand 12 is advancedvertically upward through the bore 48 during the entire unwindingoperation regardless of the pivoting movement of the pulley 46 with theguide unit 24.

The guide unit 24 may also be swung through an arc of about 270 to aposition 24", illustrated fragmentarily in phantom lines in FIG. 2,wherein the blade 54 becomes the inner blade and the blade 53 becomesthe outer blade. In this instance, the guide unit 24 may be revolved inthe opposite direction about the reel 11 in order to permit withdrawalof strand wound in the opposite direction thereon.

While the prying device would function fairly Well with a rigidconnection between the blades 53 and 54 and the mounting plates 4343,the resilient, flexible connection provided by the flat springs 5656 ispreferred, since the inner blade 53 is thus free to follow exactly thecontour of the winding surface of the reel 11 and, if any difiiculty isencountered in breaking away the strand 12 due to undue adhesion, thesprings 5656 will vibrate to assist in breaking the strand away.

In addition, the device would function fairly well if only one wedgingblade or member were provided; however, the construction shown with twoclosely spaced blades is preferred since the strand 12 is thenpositively guided to the pulley 46 in a substantially straight linegenerally tangent to the surface of the reel 11. In addition, any kinksor other irregularities in the strand diameter may be straightened outby the opposing, closefitting blades 53 and 54. Further, in the eventthat sticking occurs, so that the revolution of the flyer unit 10 istemporarily stopped followed by a sudden breaking loose wherein theflyer unit 10 tends to overtravel, the outer blade 54 will prevent thestrand from bowing out and losing contact with the inner blade 53. Also,the doubleblade construction facilitates the unwinding of reels wound ineither direction.

Clamping Mechanism 1 7 The mechanism 17, previously described ingeneral, for clamping the reel 11 to the base plate 16 in an upright,on-end position is best illustrated in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 and includes aclamp designated generally by the numeral 59, a. cam lock designatedgenerally by the numeral 60-, and a clamping rod 61, which is mountedcoaxially within the clamp 59' and engages the cam lock 6 d to clamp thered 11 in place.

The clamping rod 61 is vertically movable and is mounted centrally ofthe reel 11 along the axis A. The rod 61 is provided with a handle 62 atthe upper end thereof and an enlarged, bullet-shaped portion 63 at thelower end thereof, as viewed in FIGS. land 7. A transverse pin 64 issecured through the rod 61 near the top of the enlar ed portion 63 andprojects outwardly therefrom on either side thereof. The opposite endsof the pin 64 are designed for reception in a pair of notches 66-45formed in the under surface of the cam lock 60. The cam lock 60 issecured within an aperture 68 in the base plate 16 in a position beneaththe reel bore and in alignment with the clamping rod 61 when the reel 11has been properly positioned on the base plate 16.

The clamping rod 61 and the cam lock 60 are shown in assembled, lockingrelationship in FIG. 1 and in exploded relationship in FIG. 7, previousto assembly into the locking relationship shown in FIG. 1. The cam lock60 includes a profiled, annular hub 69 and a flange 71 at the upper endthereof, which is secured within the aperture 68. As seen in FIG. 8, thecam lock 66 is provided with a rectangular slot 72, formed therethroughand large enough to accommodate the pin 64, and a curved centralaperture 73, formed therethrough and large enough to accommodate theenlarged end 63 of the clamping rod 61. The under surface of the annularhub 69 is formed with a pair of tapered, circumferential cammingsurfaces 74-74, communicating between the ends of the slot 72 and thenotches 66-66 and along which the pin 64 may ride.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the clamp 59 includes a tubular shell 76,mounted coaxially around the rod 61 and having a circular flange 77extending outwardly therefrom near the upper end thereof. The outer endof the flange 77 includes an upwardly extending portion 78 having anouter diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the reel bore 15 topermit reception therein and a circumferential lip 79 extending outwardfrom the portion 78. The lip 79 is designed to be seated on the uppersurface (FIG. 1) of the upper reel flange 14 and to exert a downwardforce thereon of sutficient magnitude to clamp the reel 11 firmly inplace against the base plate 16.

A collar 81 having a flange 82 formed at the top thereof is secured tothe rod 61 near the longitudinal center thereof. A cup member 83 isbolted to the bottom of the shell 76 and is formed with a circular bore84 through the bottom thereof, which loosely surrounds the collar 81 soas to define an inwardly extending annular lip 86. The outer diameter ofthe flange 82 is also made slightly smaller than the inner diameter ofthe cup 83, so that a loose, sliding fit exists between the collar 81and the cup 83 to allow the rod 61 to be rotated and moved verticallywith respect to the clamp 59, yet to define an annular pocket 87 betweenthese members within which is received a helical biasing spring 88. Asseen in FIG. 1, the spring 88 bears against the flange 82 at the topthereof and against the lip 86 at the bottom thereof so that, whencompressed by sufficient downward movement of the rod 61 with respect tothe clamp 59, the biasing spring 88 exerts a force tending to move theclamp 59 downward and the clamping rod 61 upward relative to each other.

In order to assembled the clamping mechanism 17 to clamp the reel 11 inplace, previous to the start of an unwinding operation on a full reel,the reel is first placed on the base plate 16 with the central bore 15positioned concentrically with respect to the cam lock 68, asillustrated in FIG. 1. The clamp 59 and the clamping rod 61 carriedthereby are lowered, as a unit, into the central bore 15, until thecircumferential lip 79 of the flange 77 is seated loosely on the upperreel flange 14.

At this time, the handle 62 of the clamping rod 61 is rotated until thepin 64 projecting therefrom is aligned with the rectangular slot 72(FIG. 8) in the cam lock 66. The handle 62 is next depressed to lowerthe rod 61, thus compressing the spring 38, until the ends of the pin 64are entirely beneath the portions of the circumferential cammingsurfaces 74-74 which are adjacent to the ends of the slot 72. Finally,the handle 62 is again rotated, so that the pin 64 travels through anarc of about 120 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 8,until the ends of the pin 64 enter the locking notches 66-66 in cam lock60.

During this last movement, the clamping rod 61 is lowered still furtherto compress the biasing spring 88 additionally, since the ends of thepin 64 are constrained to follow the camming surfaces 74-74, which taperdownward as seen in FIGS. 1 and 7. The clamping rod 61 moves a shortdistance upward as the ends of the pin 64 snap into the notches 66-66;however, the compression on the spring 88 is only released slightly. Inthis locking position, the spring 88 urges the clamping rod 61 upward sothat the pin 64 is retained in the notches 66-66 and the clamping member59 is urged downward so that the lip 79 is compressed against the upperreel flange 14 to clamp the reel 11 firmly in place.

In order to unclamp an empty reel at the end of an unwinding operation,the handle 62 is first depressed to free the pin 64 from the notches66-66, then the handle 62 is rotated until the pin 64 again aligns withthe slot 72. The clamping rod 61 is elevated until the upper surface ofthe flange 82 engages a portion of a spacer 89, extending inward of theinside surface of the cup 83. After this engagement, further lifting onthe handle 62 elevates the clamp 59, the flyer unit 10, the guide unit24. and the brake unit 25 connected thereto out of the reel bore 15.

Flyer Unit 10 As previously described in general, the flyer unit 10comprises a rotatable fiyer 18 having a circular plate 19 mounted forrotation about the central axis A and a flyer arm 21, secured to theplate 19 and designed for pivotably supporting the guide unit 24 at theouter end thereof. In detail, the flyer 18 includes a sleeve 91, whichfits loosely around the clamping rod 61 and to which the plate 19 issecured at the upper end thereof. The sleeve 91 is mounted in bearings92-92 within the shell 76 of the clamp 59. With this arrangement, theflyer 18 is free to rotate with respect to both the clamp 59 and theclamping rod 61, yet the flyer 18 (and the elements mounted thereto) iscarried by the clamp 59 when the clamp 59 is inserted into or withdrawnfrom the aperture 15 of the reel 11 at the start or finish,respectively, of the unwinding operation.

The flyer arm 21 is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, and includes a firstpair of square tubes 93-93 secured horizontally, in spaced relationshipto each other, to the upper surface of the flyer plate 19. A second pairof square tubes 94-94 are secured to the first pair 93-93, and areinclined an angle of approximately 35 with respect thereto, asillustrated in FIG. 1. A curved support plate 96 is secured to the flyerplate 19, the horizontal tubes 93-93, and the inclined tubes 94-94 inorder to connect the flyer 18 and the flyer arm 21 together into a rigidflyer unit 10.

The square mounting tube 22 at the outer end of the flyer arm 21,previously described in detail as to the manner in which the guide unit24 is pivotably mounted thereto, is secured between the lower ends ofthe inclined tubes 94-94, as indicated in FIG. 1. The guide pulley 49 isrotatably mounted between a pair of tabs 97-97, which extendperpendicularly outward from the inclined tubes 94-94. Similarly, theguide pulley 51 is rotatably mounted between a second pair of tabs98-98, which are formed at the ends of the inclined tubes 94-94. Thetabs 97-97 and 98-98 are so arranged, having regard to the sizes of thepulleys 49 and 51, that the strand 12 engages the pulley 49 along theaxis B, advances along a horizontal line between the top of the pulley49 and the bottom of the pulley 51 (passing between the inclined tubes94-94 in the process), and leaves the pulley 51 vertically along thecentral axis A.

With the flyer-unit construction just described, the flyer arm 21(including the guide pulleys 49 and 51) is free to revolve with theflyer 18 about the center axis A when a withdrawing pull is applied tothe strand 12 by the capstan (not shown, but indicated at the top ofFIG. 12. Further, although the flyer unit 10 is free to rotate withrespect to the clamping mechanism 17, it is carried 9 thereby tofacilitate changeover between reels at the end of an unwindingoperation.

Braking Unit 25 The braking unit 25, previously described as tofunction, is best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, and includes an arcuatebrake shoe 100, which is lined with a suitable frictional material 101(FIG. 1) and is carried by the fiyer plate 19 for rotation therewith.The lining 101 is designed for frictionally engaging a circular brakingsurface 102 of the clamp 59, which surface is defined by the upwardlyextending portion 78 of the flange 77.

A helical spring 103 is provided, which bears against the brake shoe 100to urge the lining 101 into compressive, frictional engagement with thebraking surface 102. A movable adjusting bar 104 is provided, whichbears against the inner end of the spring 103 and which may be moved inorder to adjust the compression of the spring 103, thus providing thenecessary amount of braking between the lining 101 and the surf-ace 102to enable the fiyer to revolve under the pull exerted by the withdrawingstrand 12 but precluding any tendency of the flyer 10 to revolve freelyat a faster rate.

The fiyer plate 19 is provided with a pair of spaced, aligned brackets106-106 projecting from the upper surface thereof, between which .isjournalled an adjusting screw 107. The adjusting bar 104 is tapped toreceive a threaded end of the screw 107 so that, when the screw 107 isrotated by manipulating a large knurled knob 108 keyed thereto, theadjusting .bar 104 moves to the left or right, as viewed in FIG. 1, inorder to increase or decrease, respectively, the compression of thespring 103 in order to adjust the braking force. The knob 108 ispurposely made quite large, so that it extends above the brackets106-106 in order that an operator may make adjustments during operation,even though the brake unit is travelling with the flyer 18.

A lower end portion 109 (FIG. 1) of the adjusting bar 104 dependsthrough a slot 111 in the fiyer plate 19 so as to permit abutment of thebar 104 against the inner end of the spring 103. The spring 103 isreceived around a mounting shaft 112, which is secured at its outer endto the brake shoe 100 and is supported at its inner end by the lower endportion 109 of the adjusting bar 104, which is suitably bored forslidable reception around the shaft 112.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and ,9, a pair of supporting rods 113--113 are alsosecured to the brake shoe 100, one on either side of thespring-receiving shaft 112, to furnish additional support for the brakeshoe 100 and enable the same to be carried by the fiyer plate 19 forrotation therewith. For this purpose, each of the rods 113-113 issupported slidably in a pair of spaced, aligned bracket members 114114,which depend from the under surface of the fiyer plate 19. A pair ofpins 116116 (FIG. 2) are secured to the free ends of the supporting rods113-113 to furnish an extreme limit for the movement of the rods 113-113with respect to the brackets 114-114.

-It will be apparent that the integrated unwinding apparatus describedhereinabove (including the interconnected flyer, guide, clamping andbraking units described hereinbefore) is simple, convenient and easy tooperate, in that each unit of the apparatus is relatively movable withrespect to an adjacent unit or units to perform its appointed function,yet the entire structure may readily be engaged and disengaged, as aunit, from a reel to be unwound.

It will be manifest that this invention is not limited to the specificdetails described in connection with the above embodiment of theinvention, but that various modifications may be made with-out departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

'1. In combination with a strand-unwinding apparatus 10 of the typewherein a strand is withdrawn from a coil and is passed to a guide unitwhich revolves about the axis of the coil as the strand is withdrawn,the improvement which comprises a wedging blade positioned between thestrand being withdrawn and against the surface of the coil so that thestrand being withdrawn passes over said wedging blade to the guide unit,and means for mounting said wedging blade to the guide unit forrevolution therewith and for pivotal movement with respect thereto sothat said wedging blade is maintained in continuous contact with thesurface of the coil by the strand passing thereover, thus efiectivelyseparating the strand being withdrawn from the adjacent strandconvolutions remaining in the coil.

2. In combination with a strand-unwinding apparatus of the type whereina strand is withdrawn from a coil and is passed to a guide unit whichrevolves about the mis of the coil as the strand is withdrawn, theimprovement which comprises a pair of blades mounted in parallelrelationship and spaced a distance just sufiicient to permit the strandto pass therebetween, said blades being positioned so that the strandbeing withdrawn passes therebetween to the guide unit, and means formounting said blades to the guide unit for revolution therewith and forpivotal movement with respect thereto so that one of said blades ismaintained in continuous contact with the surfaceofthe coil by thestrand passing between said blades, thus effectively separating thestrand being withdrawn from the strand convolutions remaining in thecoil.

3. An apparatus for withdrawing a strand from a supply reel, whichcomprises a fiyer arm, means for mounting said fiyer arm for revolutionabout the axis of the reel, first strand-guiding means carried .by saidfiyer arm and designed for guiding the withdrawing strand away from thereel so that the withdrawing strand causes revolution of said fiyer arm,a support member, means for mounting said support member to said fiyerarm for revolution therewith and for pivotal movement with respectthereto about an axis parallel to the axis of the reel and beyond theouter edge thereof, second strandguiding means carried by said supportmember and designed for engaging the strand as it is withdrawn from thereel and guiding the strand to said first guiding means, and meanscarried by said support member for wedging the strand being withdrawnaway from the adjacent convolutions remaining on the reel to disengagethe strand from the reel while said Wedging means are maintained incontinuous contact with adjacent convolutions of the strand on the reelby the'strand being unwound.

4. An apparatus for withdrawing a strand from a supply reel, whichcomprises a fiyer arm, means for mounting said fiyer arm for revolutionabout the axis of the reel, first strand-guiding means carried by saidfiyer arm and designed for guiding the withdrawing strand away from thereel so that the withdrawing strand causes revolution of said fiyer arm,a support member, means for mounting said support member to said fiyerarm for revolution therewith and for pivotal movement with respectthereto about an axis parallel to the axis of the reel and beyond theouter edge thereof, second strandguiding means carried by said supportmember and designed for engaging the strand as it is withdrawn from thereel and guiding the strand to said first guiding means, a wedging bladepositioned between the strand being withdrawn and the convolutionsremaining on the reel so that the strand being withdrawn passes oversaid wedging blade to said second guiding means, and means including aflat spring for mounting said Wedging blade to said support member sothat said wedging blade engages the strand in advance of said secondguide means, the strand passing over said wedging blade causing pivotalmovement of said support member and flexing of the flat spring tomaintain said wedging blade in continuous contact with the Windingsurface of the reel, thus eii'ectively separat- 11 ing the strand beingwithdrawn from the adjacent strand convolutions remaining on the reeland maintaining the remaining convolutions in place.

5. An apparatus for withdrawing a strand from a supply reel, whichcomprises a fiyer arm, means for mounting said fiyer arm for revolutionabout the axis of the reel, first strand-guiding means carried by saidfiyer arm and designed for guiding the Withdrawing strand away from thereel so that the withdrawing strand causes revolution of said fiyer arm,a support member, means for mounting said support member to said fiyerarm for revolution therewith and for pivotal movement with respectthereto about an axis parallel to the axis of the reel and beyond theouter edge thereof, second strandguiding means carried by said supportmember and designed for engaging the strand as it is Withdrawn from thereel and guiding the strand to said first guiding means, a pair ofblades positioned so that the strand being withdrawn passes therebetweento said second guiding means, said blades being slightly shorter inlength than the winding length of the reel and spaced a distanceslightly greater than the normal diameter of the strand, and a pair offlat springs for mounting said blades to said support member, the strandpassing between said blades causing pivotal movement of said supportmember and flexing of said flat springs to maintain one of said bladesin continuous contact with the Winding surface of the reel, thuseffectively separating the strand being withdrawn from the adjacentstrand convolutions remaining on the reel and maintaining the remainingconvolutions in place.

6. An apparatus for withdrawing a strand from a supply reel, whichcomprises a reel support, means for clamping the supply reel to the reelsupport, a fiyer unit mounted upon said clamping means for rotation withrespect thereto about the longitudinal axis of the reel, said fiyer unitengaging the strand being withdrawn for rotation thereby as the strandis withdrawn, and means supported by said fiyer unit for rotationtherewith for wedging continuously between the strand being withdrawnfrom the reel and adjacent convolutions remaining on the reel tofacilitate disengagement of the strand from the adjacent convolutions ofthe strand on the reel.

7. An apparatus for withdrawing a strand from a supply reel, whichcomprises a reel support, means for clamping the supply reel to the reelsupport, a fiyer unit mounted to said clamping means for rotation withrespect thereto about the longitudinal axis of the reel, said fiyer unitengaging the strand being withdrawn for rotation thereby as the strandis withdrawn from the reel, braking means mounted to said fiyer unit andengaging portions of said clamping means for retarding the rotation ofsaid fiyer unit, and means pivotably mounted to said fiyer unit forrotation therewith about said axis of the reel and for wedging betweenthe strand being withdrawn and the adjacent convolutions remaining onthe reel to facilitate disengagement of the strand from the adjacentconvolutions of the strand on the reel, said wedging means beingmaintained by the strand being withdrawn in continuous contact with saidadjacent convolutions.

8. Apparatus for withdrawing a strand coiled on a supply reel having acentral bore, which comprises a support for such a supply reel, saidsupport having a locking element provided thereon; a clamp including abody portion designed to be engaged with and seated on one end of thesupply reel in surrounding relationship with respect to the centralbore, a clamping rod mounted at one end thereof to said body portion forlimited axial movement with respect thereto and arranged to extend intothe central bore of the supply reel when the body portion is engaged andseated on the end of the supply reel, locking means provided on theother end of the clamping rod and designed for engaging the lockingelement when the clamping rod is in an extended position with respect tothe body portion, and resilient means arranged between the body portionand the clamping rod, said resilient means tending to urge the bodyportion tightly against the reel to hold the reel firmly to the supportwhen the locking means on the rod is in engagement with the lockingelement of the support; a fiyer unit mounted on said clamp for rotationwith respect thereto about the longitudinal axis of the reel when theclamp is in its clamping position, said fiyer unit including a fiyer armhaving portions thereof engaging the strand as it is withdrawn from thesupply reel so that the flyer arm is rotated thereby as the strand iswithdrawn, and means supported by said fiyer arm for rotation therewithfor wedging between the strand being withdrawn from the reel andadjacent convolutions of the coil on the reel, said wedging means beingmaintained continuously by the strand being withdrawn in contact withthe surface of the coil.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8, in which means are mounted to saidfiyer unit and designed for continuous braking engagement with a surfaceof the body portion of the clamp to retard the free rotation of thefiyer unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,048,511 Newton July 21, 1936 2,417,818 Finn Mar. 25, 1947 2,454,590Berlinger Nov. 23, 1948 2,514,264 Soper July 4, 1950 2,643,075 MooreJune 23, 1953 2,743,066 Crurn Apr. 24, 1956 2,941,746 Hunt June 21, 1960

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A STRAND-UNWINDING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE WHEREINA STRAND IS WITHDRAWN FROM A COIL AND IS PASSED TO A GUIDE UNIT WHICHREVOLVES ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE COIL AS THE STRAND IS WITHDRAWN, THEIMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A WEDGING BLADE POSITIONED BETWEEN THESTRAND BEING WITHDRAWN AND AGAINST THE SURFACE OF THE COIL SO THAT THESTRAND BEING WITHDRAWN PASSES OVER SAID WEDGING BLADE TO THE GUIDE UNIT,AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID WEDGING BLADE TO THE GUIDE UNIT FORREVOLUTION THEREWITH AND FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT THERETO SOTHAT SAID WEDGING BLADE IS MAINTAINED IN CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH THESURFACE OF THE COIL BY THE STRAND PASSING THEREOVER, THUS EFFECTIVELYSEPARATING THE STRAND BEING WITHDRAWN FROM THE ADJACENT STRANDCONVOLUTIONS REMAINING IN THE COIL.